Ironically, it was
those years we both discovered our passions…his Journalism and mine
was Art. But our paths did not cross again for 25 years. While
living in upstate New York, I called John in California… just out of
the blue. We instantly re-connected and remained in contact until
the end. I believe with urging from me and Kathy Pierce, John came
to the 30 th re-union in 1997. That was the last time most of us
classmates saw John alive. I became a regular reader of his column
at the Daily Breeze. In 2011, I asked John if he remembered The
Bluebell tragedy in 1961, where an 11 yearold girl (our age at the
time) was set adrift for 4 days after her family was murdered at
sea, well he did. John wrote a column about the Bluebell and
generously credited me for the story idea. John sent me a signed
copy of his book “Grounded”. I eventually bought three more copies
to give away. He bought a sculpture from me and showed it off to his
friends. It was through John’s writing that I and thousands of
others came to know and appreciate his human qualities. To read John
Bogert was to know John Bogert.
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